When Da'off returned to his magic cottage, he had not yet spoken of his fruitless search when Glenn delivered news that made his blood run cold.

  “They were lying in ambush outside my protective wards? All three of them?!”

  Cold sweat beaded across Da'off’s brow. He could not bear to imagine what would have happened had any of the other apprentices stepped outside instead of Glenn. The consequences would have been unspeakable—an unforgivable nightmare, for these children were ones he had personally raised.

  His gaze toward Glenn brimmed with gratitude.

  “Yes,” Glenn said. “Each one uglier than the last, shouting about how they were going to torture me, how they’d make you pay. So… I used rather cruel methods to send them on their way.”

  “You have done me a kindness I cannot hope to repay, child. Truly—thank you,” Da'off said solemnly.

  “No need for such formality. It was what I ought to do. Even if I had encountered them elsewhere, I wouldn’t have spared them—let alone when they threatened my classmates.” Glenn gave his teacher a brief smile.

  Da'off chuckled kindly. “You are an endearing child indeed. I suppose I finally understand why Legira holds you in such regard. Perhaps in the future…”

  He trailed off. “But no. Some burdens should not fall upon you—not yet.”

  Glenn, puzzled by the unfinished sentence, hesitated before speaking: “I can tell the Black Ravens are hiding many things from me, but I won’t pry. Still, if ever they require my help, I won’t stand aside.”

  Da'off shook his head with a gentle smile. “I know little myself. I once asked them. Legira only said it was a mission—one destined for them to bear. They failed once, narrowly survived, and now intend to attempt it again. They offered nothing more.”

  It was intriguing, but the clues were far too few. Even if he questioned the Black Ravens now, they would likely remain silent. The truth would reveal itself in time—there was no sense in forcing it. Once Glenn made peace with this, he shifted the conversation:

  “By the way, when I dealt with those three dark magicians, I didn’t ask their origins. Since they were your enemies, you must know them well, right?”

  A hint of regret crossed Da'off’s face. “That was more than a decade ago. Those three were formerly members of a group calling itself the Dark Mages’ Alliance in the capital.

  “For reasons unknown, they clashed with the rest of their organization. I encountered them mid-battle. One side fled, and I pursued those three.

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  “You know how many tragedies fourth-tier dark mages can cause in a single year. I could not allow them to escape alive.

  “But I did not expect they had already erected a sacrificial array in a nearby village. I had no choice but to break the ritual first—and naturally, in that time, they fled.

  “I dealt them a heavy blow, yet never imagined they would dare seek revenge. Had I kept pursuing them afterward, today’s danger might never have occurred.”

  Glenn offered quiet comfort. “At least no tragedy happened. You prevented a disaster. Where I come from, we say that good deeds bring good fortune. Perhaps your kindness that day stopped their scheme from succeeding this time.”

  Da'off smiled. “Your homeland’s saying is rather comforting. Still, fate is the hardest thing to grasp. Countless great mages have tried to study it throughout history—and all failed.”

  Seeing Da'off’s spirits ease, Glenn continued: “You mentioned they had set up the sacrificial array before you pursued them. Do you know their original aim? I doubt it was simply to threaten you.”

  “Indeed.” Da'off nodded. “They intended to sacrifice the entire village, borrowing a demon’s power to kill their enemies. Dark mages often collaborate with wicked demons—it is nothing unusual.”

  The two spoke further on demons and dark mages before turning to Da'off’s fruitless trip to the capital. Glenn was not surprised; the matter concerning him had always seemed beyond comprehension.

  But when Glenn mentioned he could not enter deep meditation, Da'off’s brow furrowed once more. Another troubling mystery with no path toward resolution.

  Still, he refused to surrender to uncertainty. After checking Glenn’s assignments, Da'off retreated into his research chamber. To him, becoming Glenn’s teacher meant clearing every danger that might someday threaten his apprentice.

  Glenn could do little to dissuade him—he had already realized that Da'off possessed a quiet but unyielding stubbornness.

  Even so, Da'off never neglected Glenn’s instruction. He had once said Glenn was the most gifted apprentice he had ever taught— and there was no reason to doubt him.

  Da'off did not choose his apprentices as other mages did, by talent or pedigree. Apart from Glenn, every one of his students had been orphans he took in. Their gifts varied wildly.

  Yet such a man was precisely the type Glenn deeply respected. It was no wonder he could befriend someone like Legira—people of one kind sought each other naturally.

  One day, after Da'off had finished a lesson, Glenn suddenly remembered something.

  “Teacher, I realized Lucas and the others have never experienced true hardship. If they venture into the world one day, they’ll suffer for it.”

  Da'off gave a small wave of his hand. “I know. That is why I do not intend for them to venture out.”

  Glenn froze. “You wish to keep them here forever?”

  “Rather—to protect them forever,” Da'off said quietly. “You, of all people, understand that becoming an extraordinary being is not a blessing. Unless one reaches true heights, the outside world is perilous. My first three apprentices taught me that. I sent them out to temper themselves… and only then did I realize how foolish my decision had been.”

  His voice grew rough at the end.

  From his tone alone, Glenn could guess their fates were grim.

  Sure enough, Da'off continued:

  “They were not lacking in training. Yet they were still hurt in the end: Joniv was captured by dark mages and turned into a puppet. Buckle vanished without a trace. Only Kumi survived—and even he returned crippled, an ordinary man. With my help, at least he is living tolerably now.”